Desk Report: One day your baby may point a finger at a pregnant woman and say, ‘How did this baby get into her womb?’ In answer to such questions, you may find it better to conceal the truth and say something fictional, because you may think that a child should not be given sex education before going to school. In fact, some researchers do not think so. According to them, the child should be given sex education from the age of wearing diapers.
Dan Rice, executive director of Ansar, a sex education organization at Rutgers University, said: “Sex education should start at an early age. From the beginning of development, children try to understand everything and their body is an important part of it.
Giving a child sex education does not only mean physical development and the process of childbearing. The most important part is to educate about the limits of physical touch. Inform about who can touch and who can’t.
Many parents fail to realize that hugging relatives, cheering with a teacher, and tickling a parent all affect a child’s psychology. “Children try to understand different parts of the body and how they feel,” said Nora Zelparin, director of the sexual health education group Sexuality Education for Advocates for Youth. Therefore, according to experts, if sex education can be given according to the age of the child, the chances of being bullied by relatives or outsiders will decrease. Here are some strategies to give sex education to tender-hearted children.
* Prohibit the spread of germs
Before enrolling in school, parents begin to educate children about the importance of good friends. It helps children build healthy relationships now and in the future. But there is also the importance of imparting knowledge about different parts of the body, not just the use of beautiful words. “When your child is told to cough or sneeze at the elbow, they are learning how to prevent it and are discouraged from spreading the germs among others,” Rice said. In this way children can easily understand that no one should actually be involved, even if it is a familiar person. It’s a tactical message to children that they have to keep their bodies under control and should not be allowed to hug or kiss. ‘
Most parents are reluctant to tell their children the exact term for the genitals, so they use strange terms. For example, when a child is surprised and asks the name of the penis, he is told that it is Manik! But in this way, through the use of euphemism, the message is given to children that the original term genitalia should not be used and that these parts of the body should be ashamed. It is better to tell the children the correct terminology than the false terminology of the genitals. At the same time, they need to understand that these are private organs, where no one has the right to touch without permission.
Dr. Rice said, ‘Just as you call the nose the nose and the elbow the elbow, so the vagina should be called the vagina and the penis the penis. You can teach these terms only if your child can speak. According to Zelparin, the best time to teach is to change diapers and take a bath. If you teach these terms to a child at a young age, they will not be ashamed to talk about any problems there when they are a little older, which will make it possible to get effective treatment at the right time.
Teaching children the proper names for body parts can also prevent sexual abuse. Experts believe that accurate information about the genitals can be one of the measures of child safety. Studies have shown that abusers often target children who do not know what the vagina or penis is. Zelparin said the rate of bullying was higher among children who could not name their genitals correctly.
Jelparin said, ‘There is no need to give the child a detailed description of the genitals. Just say the correct name and let them know that these are as normal and natural as any other part of the body. Also inform that there is no shame or hesitation in asking questions about these organs.
* Identify faithful people
There is no denying the importance of identifying faithful older people for children. There may be situations in the lives of children when they need the help of someone they trust in the absence of their parents. Parents first need to identify trustworthy people. In this case, age should also be given priority, especially try to choose someone who is over 50 years of age. If someone touches your body, says something bad, or has a difficult question, ask them to let you know. According to Zelparin, curiosity naturally plays in the minds of children.
Part of this curiosity is sex. If this is limited to parents and children, they may not be able to get help when they need it. Just as children talk to their parents about sex without hesitation, so they talk to a faithful person. This can help them to get the help they need if something bad happens to them.
* Eliminate child discrimination
One of the causes of gender-based violence and sexual abuse is family inequality among children. That is why it is important to remind children from an early age that all children are equal. But if the family discriminates between the children in affection or in some distribution, the ignorant mind gets annoyed, which can turn into suicide or violence if it goes out of control in the context of an incident. In addition, family inequality incites the child to behave arrogantly.
It affects the behavior of girls over time. This inequality, on the other hand, leads the child to think that it is normal to have something insignificant and something bad to do with it. In this way, over time, women grow weaker and do not have the courage to protest even if something unfair happens to them. Jelparin said, ‘Children have the right to equal treatment. If we can establish this education in the minds of children, an ideal generation can be expected.
An example of eliminating inequality is that there is no such thing as a boy’s color and a girl’s color, anyone can like any color, the other’s choice has to be respected instead of ridiculed. Toys, clothing or costumes and other fields can be taught in this way. It will inspire the child to think positively.
* Teach self-confidence, self-esteem and self-evaluation
According to Rice, the most important issues related to sex education are the teaching of self-esteem, self-confidence and self-assessment. If you don’t think deeply, there won’t seem to be a relationship between the two, but if a child can understand his importance, he won’t think of himself as a puppet in the hands of others.
If someone wants to treat him inhumanely, his consciousness will wake up spontaneously. He will consider the indecent treatment of others as a blow to his honor. You can go to an expert to get an idea of how to teach a child self-esteem, confidence and self-assessment, or read a report online or watch a video.
